Community Guidelines
MFN is meant to feel like the best gym you've ever trained in — people who push you, nobody making you feel small. These are the rules that keep it that way. They apply to posts, comments, messages, profiles, gym pages, and listings.
01Celebrate progress at every level
A first 5K and a 500 lb deadlift both count. Someone's day-one is not content for your comment section. Encourage people who are behind you, learn from people ahead of you, and remember that the person posting a small win probably took a big breath before hitting share.
02No harassment, no hate
No slurs, no dogpiling, no threats, no sexual harassment, no targeting anyone over race, gender, sexuality, religion, disability, or anything else. Allies are welcome here; anyone using this space to demean the community it was built for is not.
03No body-shaming
Don't comment on someone's body unless they asked. That includes 'concern' about weight, backhanded compliments, and unsolicited diet or physique advice. Critique a lift if someone asks for form feedback — never the body doing it.
04Keep it authentic
Log the weight you actually lifted. Don't inflate PRs, fake leaderboard numbers, or invent credentials you don't hold. Don't create business or gym listings for businesses that don't exist, and don't claim Black ownership that isn't real — the directory only means something if it's honest.
05Respect gym spaces and privacy
Film your own sets, not other people's. Get consent before posting someone who is recognizable in your footage, follow your gym's rules on recording, and never film in locker rooms or changing areas. If someone asks you to take a video down, take it down.
06No spam or unsolicited promotion
Don't blanket the feed, comments, or DMs with sales pitches, supplement links, or coaching offers people didn't ask for. If you're selling something, put it in the business directory — that's exactly what it's for, and it's where members go looking.
How enforcement works
Moderation only works if the community uses it. Here's the path from “this isn't right” to something happening.
Report it
Posts and profiles have a ⋯ menu with a report option. Choose a reason, add any context that helps, and submit. Reports go straight to MFN administrators and are private — the person you reported is never told who reported them.
Block
You don't have to wait for a review to get someone out of your space. Blocking a user from their profile stops their content reaching you and cuts off contact. Blocking and reporting are independent — do either, or both.
What happens after a report
A human reviews it against these guidelines and the Terms of Service. Depending on what we find, we may leave the content up, remove it, remove a false gym or business listing, issue a warning, or suspend or permanently remove the account. Severe violations — threats, sexual content involving minors, targeted hate — skip the warning and go straight to removal. Repeat violations escalate.
If something is urgent, involves someone's safety, or you think we got a decision wrong, email safety@melaninfitnessnation.com. We'd rather hear from you than lose you.